by Jason Testa

The San Diego State Aztecs tipped off their regular season against Long Beach State, looking to set the tone for what promises to be a competitive year in the Mountain West. SDSU entered the matchup riding a 15-game win streak in regular-season home openers, a streak that is consistent across all opponents, ranked or not.

Long Beach opened the game with aggressive full-court pressure, setting the early defensive tone. The Aztecs answered with a clean highlight as senior guard Sean Newman Jr. hit 6’10” forward Miles Heide on a dime for an easy finish.

But frustration set in quickly for SDSU. Long Beach forced the Aztecs into five early team fouls, including two on star guard Taj DeGourville within the opening minutes. Long Beach was led early by 6’8″ Serbian forward Petar Majstorovic, who powered his way to nine points and four rebounds in the first half. 

Freshman forward Tae Simmons gave SDSU a spark off the bench, converting a tough and-one finish, knocking down a corner three, and later completing another and-one to reach eight points in the first half alone.

Still, Long Beach refused to fade away. Junior forward Derrick Xzavierro, from Indonesia, scored back-to-back buckets to keep his squad within striking distance.

That’s when preseason Mountain West Player of the Year Miles Byrd completely took over. Byrd found BJ Davis on a sharp cut, then fired a rope to the corner where freshman guard Elzie Harrington buried a three to give SDSU a 20–18 lead with 6:30 remaining. Byrd followed with a corner triple of his own, then attacked the rim for a soft teardrop finish. Moments later, he drilled back-to-back deep threes from the top of the key, electrifying the crowd and stretching the Aztecs’ lead to double digits.

SDSU carried that momentum into the closing minutes of the half. Heide added to the monster run with patient footwork in the post for a layup, and then jumped a passing lane, converting another and-one opportunity.

The Aztecs headed into halftime leading 40–25. Long Beach State committed 13 turnovers in the first half, while SDSU shot an impressive 46 percent from beyond the arc.

After a rough, scoreless first half, Taj DeGourville finally found his rhythm, scoring four straight points to give the Aztecs an early boost out of the break.

Long Beach State went cold to start the half, enduring a three-minute scoring drought before 6’3″ guard Isiah Lewis buried a three to stop the dry spell and get Long Beach back on the board.

SDSU fans experienced a tough scene moments later, as Miles Byrd came up limping after delivering a pass to the wing. Byrd exited under his own power with 16:14 remaining in the second half, leaving the crowd holding its breath as he headed to the bench.

Byrd thankfully checked back in 2 minutes later and came up with a monster block on Cole Farrel as he put a crossover on Byrd and attacked the rim. 

Both teams struggled to find a rhythm from the field for much of the second half, keeping the score around 46–30 in favor of the Aztecs. That all changed when Elzie Harrington delivered a lob to Tae Simmons, who threw down a monstrous flush to ignite the SDSU offense.

Long Beach answered immediately as Petar Majstorovic finished a tough shot off the glass in the paint. But the Aztecs turned to their perimeter game, hitting multiple three-pointers in 3 straight possessions. BJ Davis knocked down an off-balance triple, followed by Oden and then Taj DeGourville, stretching the lead to 59–34 with 8:25 remaining.

Long Beach’s 6 ’10 ” freshman Dallas Washington tried to keep his team in the game, hitting a corner three of his own. However, SDSU’s balanced scoring and relentless pressure proved to be too much for this Long Beach team to overcome. 

The Aztecs’ defense continued to dominate, holding Long Beach State to just 19-of-59 shooting from the field. It was a full-team effort for SDSU, led by freshman Elzie Harrington, who posted 13 points and four assists, while star guard Miles Byrd added 13 points and eight rebounds. The Aztecs rolled to a 77–44 victory and now turn their attention to Idaho State on November 9 at Viejas Arena.